2003 Durango SLT / Project HiJackZX1 (Finally Focused Remix)

The plan is to create a high end multimedia car that can create both a feature rich environment for shared use, and for personal use. To accomplish this, I am using 2 setups.

PC1: Main PC

A Zotac Motherboard with INTEL Dual Core (E8200) processor. 4gb of RAM, running WIN 7 Ultimate 32bit. This unit is for Dual Zone media. The driver has access to NAV, OBD2, Music, and anything that is essential for driving. The passengers have their own set of controls that play Games, Chat, Video, DVD, TV, and tons more. They have dedicated ear phones, so they do not disturb the driver or vis versa. A button can be pressed to send rear audio to main audio so everyone can enjoy.

PC2: Rear PC

AsRock Motherboard with AMD Hexa Core processor. 12gb of RAM, running WIN 7 Ultimate 64bit. This unit is for Multi Zone media. Each user that interacts with this system will have their own controls. No other user is forced to share what the other is doing. Even audio is separate. This is done buy using 6 sound cards, 6 graphic cards, Windows Extended, and TS software to map each panel to a specific screen and Virtual Box to create 6 independant zones.

Originally all of the systems and components were in different areas of the car, because I kept adding new things to the setup. This all became a big mess and now I have to take everything out to get a more uniform setup.

Here is the rear hatch:

As you can see there is a floor that opens and closes. Basically that will be cut in half and the hatch extended all the way to there. If i didn't need access for my dogs, I would most likely use the whole thing. The reason I need so much room is because I want to fit a fuse box system and battery into the back (if my engine bay cant handle it, which it should). If the battery does fit in the engine bay, then it will only be for wiring and fuse box. Also all components and devices for the Car PC, will be moved to the back also. Basically I am trying to get everything into one central location.

Now the mistake I made the first time is I built the enclosure first, without actually having the equipment. This time I will not make that mistake though. I plan to install all the hardware, then build the enclosure.

As far as powering, I will have a OPUS 320 (currently have) for the main setup and a 550watt desktop PSU with inverter for the multi-zone setup. Thats it, no more three M4 ATX units like I had planned to do before. I have scaled all devices down, so I only have 5V devices that need to be powered. In fact I have 30amps worth of 5V devices. Thankfully PaulF linked me to these devices http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...0001_212549_-1. I figure I'll get three 10 amp versions and call it a day.

Now as for all the stuff I already moded, I am going to have to have all that restored to factory. My front console has to replaced because all of the air holes I cut. Then all I will add to the console are the control switches, DVD ROM, SCard Reader and Ethernet port for updating (in case my wireless doesn't work). I am going to replace the third row, I think trying to fix it is a waste. No if I keep the second row console I made, then I have to keep the third row. I can use the console for storage, what do you guys think?

I think I will keep it and maybe close up the air vents. That way it looks like a solid unit. Oh course, I will have to have the upholsterer redo it then. i don't know what I will do with the empty cavern though? I think I will use it for a Fusion Brain in the future. i want to add a lighting system in my headliner, kind of like the cash cab. I think the Fusion Brain can handle that.

So in saying that, all I need to replace is that front console.

As far as USB ports, since I have the wire in the doors already installed, I am going to put the ports in each armrest. Originally there were switches to control the individual units, but since that idea is gone, I don't need them anymore. So that leaves holes in all armrests. The USB port would be a nice filler.

The camera setup will stay as is. Its fuse box will stay under the passenger seat. Only all the PC connections will be moved. Screen fuses may also stay there. Everything else will go to the back.

Hope you all enjoy this new thread. I will try to keep it consistent and not jump all over the place.

Deleting my mirrors has been a long time goal of mine. I want everything to be digital and keep my eyes on the road and on that screen. With a digital system I can get a panoramic view of what is going on. No blind spots, no nothing.

How it works:

A camera is put in key locations. This achieves the panoramic view. It took some time for me to make it all look even. The rear camera has a different aspect ratio then the side cams. I did this because I wanted to see more then with a standard mirror. The cams aspect ratio is so great that it kills the blind spots back there. The side cameras are normal aspect. The image I saw in my mirrors, is exactly the same. I also have a cabin camera which records all the passengers. In the future I plan to make the adventures into a Youtube channel (more details on that later).

So as you can see I have a pretty good view now. All the cameras then feed into digital quad color processor. This is the same thing security monitors use to combine 4 images onto one screen. Then from the DQP it goes to a black box recording device.

Basically it records MPH, GPS location and other important stuff. This unit has a forward facing camera, thats why I haven't installed my own. What is unique is that you can add a second camera via a headphone adapter type plug. I plan to mod this and make it so I can connect the DQP to it. That means this unit can now record 5 cameras at one time. I plan to buy this unit in the next few months.

Future upgrade:

Now this system does have a down fall. It works very bad at night with so much headlight traffic. It is manageable but I would like something solid. My plan is to buy four FLIR cameras.

That way i can always see rear panoramic, now matter what. These things use heat, so no light required. I am going to hook up a relay system for the rear view screen, so when it gets dark, the relay is tripped and it switches to those cameras. Also a second DQP will be used so that the black box is recording usable images at night. Now for the front, the front facing FLIR camera will be connected to the motorized screen that will be installed for the drivers personal system. i simply switch to AV and I will see the FLIR image directly in front of me.

Right now I can not do this idea unless I win the lottery. I am trying to wait for the price to drop, then I will invest in them.

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1: Finish Camera System
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* Buy 2 more cameras for side mirrors. [DONE]
* Buy DQP to replace the one a modded and killed. [DONE]
* Wire up new cameras and DQP. [DONE]
* Have fabricator mod second pair of mirrors to only fit cameras. [DONE BY MYSELF]
* Buy black box recorder. [DONE]
* Install black box. [DONE]
* Have a top enclosure built to hide camera and black box. Also to make screen look like its built into the top heads up display.

7: Rear PC Hatch
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* Take out and mod hatch to reflect new rear panel design.
* Add large fan to rear panel.
* If any damage to vinyl is caused, take to upholsterer to repair.

8: Finished
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* Go down in history as the only one to build two PC system, one which emulates 6 computers, into car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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For install 3 i bought a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer. Unfortunetly its PCI based and the new MoBo is PCIe x16 based. So that means $100.00 down the drain (Card cost me $79.00 and special 7.1 surround sound cables cost me $20.00). I am not willing to throw the card away so I found a PCIe x1 to PCI adapter. Its made for low profile cards, which the sound blaster is. Still trying to find out if a PCIe x1 device will work in a PCIe x16 slot.

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Well I got the PCIe to PCI adapter. I was worried that it would not work. I basically wanted to reuse my Sound Blaster PCI X-Fi XtremeGamer card. I like how it works and I also had to buy special cables to use the 7.1 feature. So basically I spent a bit of money on the card. The new MoBo only has a PCIe x16 slot. The PCIe to PCI adapter is basically a hit or miss item and doesnt work with all items. Its also made for low profile cards, but thankfully the soundcard is low profile. I had to make my own little bracket to permantely attach it to the adapter. I tested it in a PC I had at work and it did work perfectly. So now thats out of the way.

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I have had the RVS-300 installed for a while. I just haven't had a software that could combine the clips into one movie. I finally found CyberLinks PowerDirector, which did what I wanted perfectly.

I did this with the PSP movie setting which still looked really good. Only thing I have to do now is buy the second camera and hack it to use my DQP. Then I can use 5 total cameras with the system.

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On a side note, I got the HTC EVO 4G for Christmas. It was an early gift, lol. Because Sprint has started to roll out 4G, I already have it at my house. By the time my setup is done, 4G will be more avaliable.

First thing I researched was can I use Voice and Data at the same time. In 4G, yes, so I have decided to simply use the phone in tether mode. That means I do not have to sit there and buy a separate card for my setup. The only draw back is that if I want to use the Car PC remotely, I cant, but honestly, I do not think its a feature I will care for. I don't want to have to pay for a dedicated data plan and card.

The EVO does have a hot spot feature to allow other to connect to the device, but it is an additional 29.99 for that feature per month. There is a way to "root" the phone to unlock that feature, but I do not want to void the warranty. Instead I will tether the phone to the Car PC, which works perfectly. All I had to do was install a software on the PC and phone and it installs as a network on the PC. It cost me 9.95 and thats a one time charge. Only down fall is that if I am in 3G mode, if someone calls, I get knocked off, but thats fine, I can wait for 4G.

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I have pretty much mastered my EVO and was getting kinda depressed that my Car PC and other upgrades were at a stand still.

As you know I bought the RVS-300C DVR system. I have been using it everyday without issue. I basically use CyberLink PowerDirector to make the movies, which look awesome. I wanted to use the RVS with my DQP and other cameras, but I did not know the pin settings and stuff. The only way to find out is to buy the units second camera and hack the thing up. That cost me $110.00 dollars for a camera I am not going to use. I basically need it only for its cable.

I am hoping that the RVS-300 doesnt need to interface with the camera chip (RVS-301), other wise I will have to figure something out to make the RVS-300 think that the RVS-301 is connected, but really my DQP is connected.

I also decided to finally finish the main wire install. Basically I need to run a 13 foot cable from the bottom of my seat (connector is under there) to the rear of the car. Then I can technically start getting the Car PC its self in.

I wanted to finish by the end of this year, but it was obviously not meant to be. Also still have to wait for CI to drop the CF 3.2 update.

Also, here is my latest video. I was actually racing a car towards the end, but because the camera system isnt 100% installed, I couldnt record me killing the car, lol.

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OK, I bought the camera that connects to the DVR unit. I then cut up the cable and wired my DQP to it. The video and power share the same ground point and thats what the DVR looks for to enable the second recording. So all I had to do was wire in video.

Here it is me driving to get food. The second camera recording isn't high quality like the main unit, but you can still clearly see everything. Only draw back I see is that frame rate goes from 30 fps to 15 fps so it can record both video streams. Its a small issue, but nothing that takes away from its abilities.

I have decided to toss the cabin camera and replace it with the camera I bought for the cable. It is a CCD camera and much better quality. Works much better and looks better.

NOTE: The footage is very jerky, its a result of me using a slow PC to try to combine the video feeds together.

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Finally installed the isolator to separate the rear battery from the front. Decided to mount the PAC on the inside. I put it under the second row seat.

Here is the fuse panel with the secondary line added.

Here is the ground for the PAC 200.

Here is under the driver seat before and after.

Here is the PAC 200 installed under the second row.

Here is the PAC 200 fully installed.

The PAC 200 is connected to the ignition wire. I was thinking about connecting it to the PC ignition, but if I decide not to use the PC, the second battery will not charge. So to the direct ignition it is. Also if I decided I need extra battery time, I can use the key to activate the PAC 200 and provide longer battery time while sitting.

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Got the Mini-Pac units in. They are a lot smaller then I expected, which is a good thing.

I then plugged them into my PC, it sees it as a keyboard. Installed the software for the programming of the keys. Mapped out Up, Left and Right to the new following keys Enter, S and CTRL. I decided to put it on the control stick area because I noticed that when I set it up on other buttons, there is a delay between button presses, something the KVMP will not like. So by mapping it where it is, the key strokes have no lag at all. Once I did the mapping, I saved my project then hit program device. It configured in less then 1 second. I then simply unplugged one unit and went to the next and the next and the next. Only took a total of 15 seconds. Thanx to JustChat for recommending these units.

All I have to do now is build the circuit boards for the arm rest. The control boards will have 3 buttons (for KVMP), an audio port for headphones, a toggle switch (for USB port PC assignment) and a USB port. That should be a fun project.

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I decided to name my Car PC after my departed dog Tobiathin. So now its called the Tobiathin Core. I installed the Mini-Pacs on a board, then added a hinge to it so I can easily move it to get access to the PC ports under it.

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Decided to try out the Multi Zone aspect of the TC today. I wanted to see if a 300 watt PSU can safetly power the whole thing. Looks like it can. Technically the PSU is 280 watts. The system came right on, all devices installed quickly and left it on for almost 2 hours with no issues.